Finding Mr. Right, starring renowned actress Tang Wei and actor Wu Xiubo, was a hit when it came to the big screen back in 2013. And just last June, both actors together with the scriptwriter and director from the first film, Xue Xiaolu, arrived in Macau to begin filming the sequel.
In the original film, which grossed nearly US$85 million, Jiajia (Tang Wei) is pregnant by her married Beijing tycoon boyfriend, and determined to give birth in the United States and throw her lover’s money around in the meantime. She meets the humble driver Frank (Wu Xiubo) in Seattle while investigating how to get US citizenship for her unborn baby, and this opens up the first chapter in their romantic story.
The film not only portrayed the love story between Jiajia and Frank in a foreign country, but also examines the lives of those pregnant women who choose to give birth abroad.
“I always say the inspiration for my creations comes from daily life. Once my friend decided to give birth in the United States. I thought the topic of women deciding to give birth in a foreign place would be good material for a script and this group of women – women who chose to give birth aboard in order to provide a better life quality for their babies, is rarely discussed in China,” director Xue said when CLOSER spoke to her recently on set at MGM Macau.
“As I heard my friend’s story, I got a very clear direction as to how to develop the plot and at the same time this would be a very fresh one,” she adds.
After appearing in Finding Mr. Right, Tang Wei received rave reviews for her performance.
“Tang Wei usually plays artistic characters and had never acted in this kind of romantic comedy before,” admits Xue. “However despite this I just think she is really suited to this character Jiajia, and I have always wanted to present different sides of actors and actresses to the audience. I wanted to portray a Tang Wei that no one had ever seen on the big screen. Discovering more possibilities in actors and actresses is also one of my goals.”
Now, two years after the screening of the movie, director Xue has finally decided that it is time to film a sequel for this unique romantic comedy and the love story between Jiajia and Frank continues.
“Initially Finding Mr. Right was not supposed to have a sequel although many people have been asking for it. One day I suddenly got the inspiration and I immediately showed the draft of the script to Tang Wei and Wu Xiubo and they liked it.”
This time the movie will not be limited to Seattle, and will be filmed in many other countries. For its first stop, Director Xue has chosen Macau as the starting point for this much-anticipated sequel.
“This is my first time filming in Macau. For me the feeling of freshness and the unknown in life is very important for my creative process. And Macau can provide this. That’s why Macau has become a very important place in the plot of Finding Mr. Right II. Besides, we have a really good working and filming environment here in Macau and our crew really enjoyed the filming this time,” Xue notes.
The release date for Finding Mr. Right II is yet to be confirmed, but Xue is hopeful audiences will enjoy it.
“Awards are not the most important thing for a movie, and should not be expected in the creative process. All I want is that audiences will be satisfied with our sequel and give us positive feedback.”